Cerebrospinal fluid folate activity in patients with Plasmodium falciparum cerebral malaria

Serum and CSF folate levels were determined simultaneously in 28 patients with P. falciparum cerebral malaria. Both mean values were found to be significantly lower than those of normal subjects reported earlier. Ten (35%) and nine (32%) patients showed low serum and CSF folate respectively. Altogether seven patients had low folate levels in both serum and CSF. After being treated in the hospital for one week, both serum and CSF folate levels increased in nine convalescent subjects. The CSF folate levels were statistically significantly higher than those of the acute malarial stage. These findings indicated that both serum and CSF folate levels were depressed in patients with cerebral malaria and increased after recovery.